Our Opinion: Disregarding the good of our nation

No nation, especially one as attractive as ours in terms of liberty, safety and prosperity, can survive long without some firm policy on immigration.

By definition, the “open borders” crowd refuses to accept that.

So do those in favor of mass amnesty for illegal immigrants already in the United States.

Estimates of the number of people living here illegally, many for years, vary wildly.

One is that there are 11 million of them.

Some liberal politicians pander shamelessly to illegal immigrants. Their reasoning is plain: Making it easier for those here illegally to become citizens puts them in one’s debt — and they may express their gratitude at the polling place.

Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke, of Texas, is among the very few seeking the nation’s highest office who have put forth anything approaching a comprehensive immigration strategy. O’Rourke wants to send 2,000 lawyers to the southern border to help those seeking asylum here. He wants to send $5 billion to Central American countries to help make their residents feel safer.

And O’Rourke wants Congress to declare that those here illegally now can become U.S. citizens with a minimum of fuss, no questions asked.

That would make the illegal immigration crisis much worse, and quickly.

As matters stand, those seeking to enter this country understand there is a good chance they will be caught and told to to back home. What kind of message is sent by declaring that everyone who broke the immigration laws in the past is being granted immunity — and can remain in the United States as citizens?

Tens of millions of foreign residents would view such a decision as an admission by the United States that we cannot enforce immigration laws and, regardless of what we may say, eventually will allow anyone who can get across the border to stay here.

Such a policy is, in a word, crazy.

Yet O’Rourke and some fellow liberals are so eager to do whatever it takes to be elected, regardless of the cost to our nation, that they are willing to make such a promise.

That — disregarding the good of our nation in favor of personal ambition — is not a recommendation for someone who wants to be president.